An Almost Yes
by Chuck Norris Worshipper
Summary: Don't ask me why I did that. It was cruel, and intensely heartless, but I couldn't help but think that wasn't the way I had wanted this to happen. He turns me down, I turn him down. The prick.


"Amortentia is—"

"Really?"Sirius burst out. "We're doing a bloody _love potion_?" Sirius demanded, looking extremely irritated. "Let me guess—you're going to make us smell it." Sirius rolled his silver eyes lazily.

"Yes, Mr. Black, that was the plan. Care to be the first one?" Professor Slughorn glowered at Sirius. "As I was saying, Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. Not very many people can distinguish the many smells you'll smell. And no textbook can tell you what you will smell—anyone know why? Mr. Black?"

Sirius rolled his eyes obnoxiously. "You gave it away, ol'Sluggy. If no textbook can tell you what you'll smell, it means that everyone smells something different."

"Correct." Professor Slughorn nodded, then continued on. "Ms. Evans, do you know anything else on this topic?" Professor Slughorn turned to me, and I nodded quickly.

"You will smell things appealing to you, that attract you. Some of these things belong to your soul mate." Professor Slughorn nodded his approval, and I slumped back in my seat once more. Whenever a teacher asked me a question, I feel the need to sit up.

"Now, I will pass the Amortentia around the room, and I happen to have a little liquid luck for whoever can distinguish the most smells…" He hinted. "Starting with Mr. Black as he has already volunteered." Professor Slughorn passed him the potion.

Sirius made a grand show of taking the potion and putting his nose to it. However, it was hilarious to see him lose his composure, his eyes widening at what must be intoxicating scent.

"What do you smell?" Slughorn prompted him after a moment.

"I smell… the Quidditch field, freshly cut grass and all…" Typical Sirius—that boy was obsessed with Quidditch. "I smell the Forbidde—I mean, the woods…" Of course he liked to sneak out there…. "And I smell something like cherries, and orange blossoms." Sirius finished, taking one last smell of what must be heaven, and pushed it away. He looked bored again, but he had a lost look in his eyes… He quickly glanced at—oh my gosh. He threw Audrey a quick look of confusion, which didn't even make sense. Audrey and Sirius had never had anything but maybe polite conversation!

"Pass it to your friend, Mr. Potter." Slughorn ordered, and Sirius did as he was told. I felt a wave of worry wash over me. What if he doesn't smell me? What if he really is meant for someone else? But that's completely stupid. I _want _that—remember? What if he _does _smell me? What if I smell him? I began to hyperventilate, and Audrey looked at me in confusion. I threw her a panicked look. Then I quickly scribbled down with a shaking hand:

_What if he smells me? What if I smell him?_

I threw the note to Audrey. She rolled her eyes, then wrote her reply.

**Then you're meant to be. Who cares?**

_I care! I don't want to be with Potter!_

**If you're meant to be, it won't matter. Besides, it's obvious you do.**

Before I could scribble an outraged reply, Potter began to speak. "I smell… Orange blossoms. And a sunny day in the woods—I can also smell the woods at night. The smell of Quidditch is definitely in

here—actually, it's quite nasty. I can smell the sweat and everything." Potter wrinkled his nose, and bloody Merlin, it was adorable—NO THOUGHTS LIKE THAT, LILY EVANS! "Orange blossoms again, and peaches. It's surprisingly delicious—smells a lot like Lily's towel after she showers."

I gaped at James. "Bloody Merlin, you're such a stalker!" I burst out, and James just shrugged.

"Anything else, Mr. Potter?"

"I'm not even close to being done! There's lavender—who knew Lily smelled like so many flowers?"

Lavender was my body wash and orange blossoms is my shampoo. I don't even KNOW where the peach came from! "Creep… Who says it was me?" I muttered.

"Well, I smelled your towel! It's OBVIOUS that it must be you."

"Who says? I bet there are lots of girls who smell like me."

"No, Lily! You're special!" James beamed at me, his voice dreamy, and I just gaped at him.

"Why don't you pass it to Ms. Evans next?" Slughorn interrupted, and James did so, a lazy smirk/smile on his face. Merlin, that's sexy… NO MORE THOUGHTS OF HIM LIKE THAT, LILY! Silly hormones… Dang it, James said a lot! I'll have to beat him!

I snatched it from him, and hesitantly took a sniff. I gasped at the smell—it was heavenly! "I smell… curry! And chocolate." I smiled, my eyes closed. "And something… sort of spicy? Manly. Probably some bloke's deodorant, or I guess it could be his hair. Manly shampoo… Yuck. I don't know why they use that stuff… Oh, and I smell old books that haven't been opened in ages." I sighed contentedly. I loved the smell of old books—I mean, I wouldn't use it as perfume, but I loved the scent. "And I also smell new parchment, as well. There's also something mint like… And there's this other smell that I can't quite make out… It's familiar…" Suddenly, I had it. I shrieked, shoving the potion away from me, horror washing through me.

_No… No… NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! I can't have smelled James Potter—no! I can't have! That's wrong, that's sick, that's horrible! NO! That didn't happen! It must have been some other bloke… but only one person can smell that amazing—NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!_

"Ms Evans, are you alright?" Professor Slughorn asked me hesitantly.

I shook my head. I could literally hear my heart pound… _Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump_! It was completely different from its usual, "_thump…thump…thumpity, thump… thump… thump… thumpity thump…_

"Would you like to go to Madame Pomfrey?"

"I, uh—no, sir." I said quickly. I took huge breaths, but my shallow breathing was still erratic... But I was calming down. I must have been mistaken, or something. But there is no way I can like James Potter in any way. I mean, he's an attractive bloke, but who cares? _So is Sirius, but you don't comment on him._

Grrr… "Good! Pass it to Ms. Thurkell, please." Professor Slughorn commanded me, and I passed the potion to Audrey. She sniffed it, and gasped.

"Omigosh, this is amazing! It smells woodsy, and it smells like peppermint in a weird sort of way, and—ew. It smells like wet dog! That's just plain _nasty_—but it smells sort of good. Probably only cause it's in this potion…" I noticed Sirius throw a nervous glance at Jame—Potter, who just smirked at his so called best friend. What the heck? "Oh, and I smell grass." She finished eloquently.

"Please pass it to…" But I zoned everything out and began to focus on Audrey. She did something odd—she threw a quick glance at Sirius, just like he had to her. Could they have smelled each other…? That's so weird—my best friend and Potter's best friend getting together. Wait—even IF they smelled each other, how could they known that they'd smelled each other? Unless… They've smelled each other before?

But they've never done anything but talk, let alone SMELLED each other!

Suddenly, a note appeared in front of me.

**James looks worried.**

I was completely bewildered for a moment. Why would he be worried? It's obvious I smelled him—he should be doing a smug happy dance.

_Why?_

**Well, you look like you've seen a ghost…**

_That doesn't mean he should get worried. I mean, it's not like I won't be fine or anything—WILL I? I MEAN, ACCORDING TO THIS POTION THING HE'S MY SOULMATE!_

**Just because James has some of the qualities doesn't mean he's your soul mate, Lily. It just means that you find James attractive physically.**

_That's just as bad!_

**Look, I've been waiting for you to realize you love James for years. So there it is—you simply adore James. It's been magnified greatly this year considering you live with him.**

_Don't remind me! It's a nightmare—every time I'm in the shower I think that Potter is going to jump in the bathroom and corner me._

**James wouldn't do that.**

…_Yes, he would._

**Lily, in case you haven't noticed, James has been really nice this year. He hasn't tried to look down your shirt once.**

_Are we talking about the same Potter?_

**Yeah, we are. You should really give him a chance, Lily. He's really not going to hang around forever.**

_He's done it for 7 years._

**But a man can only take so much of rejection.**

_He's barely asked me out this year._

**Maybe because he's tired of asking.**

_Well… Fine! I don't care, honestly! He can just go ahead and give up—I want that, remember?_

**Somehow I think you're reassuring yourself more than me.**

_Shut up._

**Technically, I'm not talking.**

_You're such a jerk! Well, let's stop talking about what I smelled and more about what you smelled. You smelled Sirius, didn't you?_

I turned to see Audrey flush.

**No, I didn't.**

_He smelled you._

**No, he didn't.**

_Yes he did. He keeps staring at you, or at least throwing you quick glances. He looks really confused._

**Um, isn't Black always confused?**

_Why do you call him Black but call James Sirius?_

**Because I don't like Black.**

_Come on… You know he's sexy._

**Uh, not really.**

_You know you find his black hair amazing—I KNOW you want to run your hand through those silky tresses…_

**I'll pass.**

_So, you're saying that if Sirius Black kissed you on the lips, you wouldn't kiss back?_

**Of course I would—it's instinct.**

_Would you KEEP kissing, or would you pull away and slap him?_

**I'd pull away and run.**

_Coward's way out._

**At least I'm not a liar.**

_True, so tr_

I wasn't able to finish as the note disappeared beneath me. For a horrible moment, I thought Slughorn had our notes—but Slughorn was still listening to people. Immediately, I turned to look at Potter and Sirius—they had our notes.

I flushed, and so did Audrey. Sirius's smirk grew wider after a moment as Potter's face fell, and he just began to twirl his quill.

_That's why you don't read other people's notes._

I felt the need to send that note to James. The note appeared on his desk, and he blinked at in confusion until he realized whose handwriting it was. I know, I sound like I can read his mind. But seriously, that's probably what he's doing. And its amazing easy to read Ja—AHH! I'M CALLING HIM JAMES!

Why do you hate me?

I gasped, staring at the words. I didn't know what to say. _Why _do I hate him? He didn't make Snape become so mean. He didn't make my sister hate me. He wasn't even the same pigheaded jerk that he was last year, or the years before that.

Why did I hate James Potter?

I crumpled up the note and decided not to reply. I mean, what could I say? But for a fleeting moment, I turned to see James staring at me, and our eyes met. He looked so _sad_! Honestly, I didn't say anything that bad. I just said that I didn't want to be with him, and even on paper I'm a bad liar so it's a bit ridiculous that he thinks—

I'm a bad liar on paper, eh? Well, too bad I'm not lying! I don't feel any romantic interest towards James Potter, and he needs to realize that. I barely even like him as a friend. Then why couldn't I tear my eyes away from those mesmerizing hazel eyes?

"Oh, no." Audrey said in a low voice so only I could hear her. I whipped my head to face her, and saw her face flushed crimson, her eyes wide and embarrassed.

_It's not that bad. _I wrote, passing the note to her.

**Yes, it bloody is! **

_You fancy him, don't you?_

**Heck no. **

_All the signs are there. Don't worry, it's obvious he likes you too._

**No, he doesn't. Besides, even if we did fancy each other, we wouldn't work out. He is the most popular guy in school, he can have any girl he wants. Why in Merlin's name would he want me?**

_Really? THESE issues again? Audrey, you're beautiful, and you're funny, and you're smart, and he SMELLED you!_

**You can't know that, Lily.**

_Oh, deared Audrey, but I can!_

_**This is pointless. You're just proving that you don't know anything, Evans. It's obvious you fancy the pants off of James, and Audrey barely appeals to me as a friend.**_

I hurriedly began to try and scribble out what Sirius wrote, but the note was gone and was now in Audrey's possession. Audrey's lip quivered—just the tiniest bit. Otherwise, her face remained unchanged.

**There is the proof that you're wrong.**

_He's lying, obviously._

**Just like how you're lying that you fancy James?**

_I DO NOT FANCY POTTER!_

**Uh, sure. Just like how he isn't in love with you.**

_HE ISN'T! HE JUST HAS A CREEPY, STALKER LIKE INFATUATION WITH ME!_

**He doesn't, Lily. He ADORES you!**

And suddenly, I could put my thoughts to words. I was sick of all these accusations. _No, he doesn't. He doesn't even KNOW me. All he sees is pretty red hair and nice green eyes, plus the big boobs. He has never tried to get to know me. He's never once tried to be my friend. All he's done is try to get in my pants._

…**I see. But dates can be considered getting to know someone.**

_Romantically! Have you guys ever thought that maybe, just MAYBE, that I'm not ready for that?_

**You're 17, you're an adult—I think you can handle it.**

_So, what do you propose I do?_

**Ask James out. Just for one night. You guys don't have to be dating—just one date. To give him a chance.**

_NO!_

**You didn't even think! Seriously, how bad can it be?**

I paused for a moment, and thought about it. How bad COULD it be? I mean, he'd take me to Hogsmeade, get me a butterbear, buy me lunch, and then I'd say that it'd been fun but I didn't want to go out again. I would technically be giving him a chance…

_Maybe._

**Omigosh, I didn't think that would actually work!**

_Um…?_

**Well, I've been doing the same thing every day for years. I thought it was a useless effort.**

_You're a jerk._

**But I'm your jerk :D**

_I bet Sirius wishes you were HIS jerk._

**I know what you were implying, that just came out wrong. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!**

_What…?_

**You don't watch muggle TV, do you?**

_Should I?_

**Well, it's from this show called "The Office". It's hilarious—"that's what she said" implies a double meaning.**

_EWWW!_

**But funny :D**

_Er…_

"Class dismissed!" Slughorn announced, and I stood up.

"Now, go ask James out." Audrey said a bit loudly.

"Shush!" I hissed. "And I don't know…"

"Just go do it. I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave." Audrey smirked. I glared at her, but suddenly felt a surge of courage. I mean, James is attractive, and the whole next could be spent with him talking about his past pranks or Quidditch. Then it would be over.

I walked over purposely to James. He looked up from gathering his stuff, and blinked at me.

"James, I have absolutely no idea how to say this." I announced.

"That you're sorry? You say it like this: I'm in love with you, James Potter!" Sirius said in a high voice.

"Shut up, and go away." I glared at him, then turned back to James. "Um, I decided that it wouldn't be so bad to go on a date with you. I think I should give you a chance." I said quickly.

It's not really a chance. It's just what everyone will THINK is a chance, but I've already crossed him off the list! I waited for him to say yes, beam, dance around, or anything. But none of that came—James just blinked at me.

"No."

My jaw dropped. "Blood Merlin—why not?"

"Because you're not actually going to go out with me. You're just doing this because you're under pressure."

"Since when have I given in to peer pressure? Otherwise I'd be at every one of your freaking little parties, getting as drunk as the rest of you!" I hissed.

"See? You still hate me!"

"Who says?" I demanded defiantly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You did!"

"I never replied."

"You never replied as to WHY."

"Because I didn't know the reasons!"

"Then why do you hate me?"

"I don't even know if I hate you!"

"How do you feel about me, then, Evans?"

"Why do you call me that?" I demanded, frustrated.

"Because you told me not to call you Lily or any other pet name I could think of!"

My expression softened. "You actually are still following orders I left you FOREVER ago?"

"I guess I call you Evans more out of habit…" He frowned. "But more or less, yes."

I took a deep breath, and stared straight into his hazel eyes, trying not to melt under his gaze, no matter how cold. "James Potter, will you go out with me?"

"...No."

I was about to start screaming at him, when he began to speak. "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me Lily Evans?"

"What was the point of that?"

"I've asked you a million times—I want to hear you say the magic word." He grinned at me.

"Then, no… Potter." I added, and walked away briskly.

Don't ask me why I did that. It was cruel, and intensely heartless, but I couldn't help but think that wasn't the way I had wanted this to happen. He turns me down, I turn him down. The prick.

* * *

**I'm making a series of one-shots, but not on the same story. The next one is, "The Things Women Do for Chocolate". :3 Hope you read it and like it as much as you may of liked this one. :)**


End file.
